Keep in mind that you're a novice lifter for a longer period of time than you think you are. Novice lifting can last anywhere from a few months to a year or two, depending on how hard you hit the weights and where you started.

Once you've reached the point where you don't make regular progress on the SS program, you are ready to move on to the intermediate stage, which can last you for a good number of years. Find it HERE:

If you're a very advanced lifter (many, many years of CONSISTENT weight training), then there are lot of programs out there, and which one you pick is simply a matter of preference. If you're really that advanced, you should know what works for you and what doesn't by this point.

I'd been doing like 10 milers pretty regularly at one time. I decided I was going to do a 13 miler at Devi's Den, thinking it wasn't that much different. Little did I realize that it was also on some of the most strenuous trail I'd ever done with huge elevation gains. I was probably 10 miles in when I bonked hard core. It ended up taking me like 3.5 hours to do it. I felt like shit for days afterwards.

Actually felt pretty good on the boxing. I'm surprised. We'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Before last April, I had never run more than a mile, and I hadn't even done that in 20 years. I'm pretty proud of myself.

Okay, I guess I live under a rock and wasn't aware of the policies of this up and coming "gym," Planet Fitness.

Are you all aware that this place kicks people out for sweating too hard or over exerting themselves during lifts? A friend of mine recently got booted out because he was wearing a skull cap (in the winter... also he's balding) and sweating too hard.

I have been doing deadlifts for a few weeks now, and the movement is starting to feel more natural through a lot of my sets, but.... why is it that the first rep always feels like I have bad form and how can I correct whatever is causing that? To be clear, there is no pain, it(the first rep) just feels like I'm doing the exercise wrong and then subsequent reps feel right.

First rep
- more of a struggle than subsequent reps
- bar drags on shins and/or knees more than subsequent reps
- knees feel less stable than subsequent reps

Biggest is that most people jerk the weight on the first rep, instead of tightening everything first and learning to squeeze the bar off the floor. Also likely that you also aren't pushing the knees back, instead you are pulling the bar forward around the knees.

Hmmm.... definitely not jerking the weight off the floor. Maybe positioning the knees. What, specifically, can I do to correct this?

Most people don't learn to tighten their posterior chain on the first rep, and at times I still struggle with it. Learn to sit back, tighten your glutes/hams and focus on pulling through your heels to keep a straight bar path while flattening out your knees as the bar hits mid shin.\

Most people don't learn to tighten their posterior chain on the first rep, and at times I still struggle with it. Learn to sit back, tighten your glutes/hams and focus on pulling through your heels to keep a straight bar path while flattening out your knees as the bar hits mid shin.\

What shoes do you deadlift in?

I have been lifting in regular old sneakers; this morning I took my shoes off completely and lifted in just my socks. Didn't really notice any difference.

Something that helps is to think about using your feet to push the bar away from the floor instead of trying to "lift" it, if that makes sense.

Yeah, I have heard that one should try to push the heels through the floor, so I have tried to keep that in mind during the lift. How important is bar speed? It seems like the reps that feel best happen when I move quicker and think less. When I think more and move slower it generally feels like the form deteriorates.

Changed my shoes a couple weeks ago and it messed up my right Achilles. I ran and worked through it for about a week then realized I needed to take a break. So I toke a week off from squatting and running, then last week picked squatting back up...bad idea. I still ran this weekend, but it was pretty bad. Going up hill killed me and I had to quit after about 5 miles. My achilles actually swelled a little and got all creaky again if that makes sense. I'm going to skip squatting again this week, perhaps skip running depending on how it feels and hope for the best. Any other advice or anyone else dealt with this? It isn't a bad constant pain...sort of nagging, but certain movements definitely hurt.

Changed my shoes a couple weeks ago and it messed up my right Achilles. I ran and worked through it for about a week then realized I needed to take a break. So I toke a week off from squatting and running, then last week picked squatting back up...bad idea. I still ran this weekend, but it was pretty bad. Going up hill killed me and I had to quit after about 5 miles. My achilles actually swelled a little and got all creaky again if that makes sense. I'm going to skip squatting again this week, perhaps skip running depending on how it feels and hope for the best. Any other advice or anyone else dealt with this? It isn't a bad constant pain...sort of nagging, but certain movements definitely hurt.

I'm right there with you. Since my last post about my run, my right foot has hurt like hell. I guess this is a good a time as any to be unable to run, though.